What You Don’t Know, Can’t Hurt
by infamous-writer
Summary: Blaise asks an owed favor and Draco complies. What Draco doesn’t know is that Blaise’s intentions for a certain girl will end up being the girl Draco wants for himself. Will conflicts arise? You betcha!
1. An Invitation

**Title: **What You Don't Know, Can't Hurt

**Summary: **Blaise asks an owed favor and Draco complies. What Draco doesn't know is that Blaise's intentions for a certain girl will end up being the girl Draco wants for himself. Will conflicts arise? You betcha!

**Disclaimer: **No, I do not own Harry Potter and Co.

**Chapter 1: **An Invitation

* * *

It was late in the evening and a brisk cold wind swept through the open windows, brushing over a tall lean silhouette. In the darkness of the room two hands promptly prepared their things for a hasty departure. Sentimental value never existed in this household which made packing up an easy thing. All the items in the small duffle bag were clothing, a pair of shoes, personal items and a Gringotts Wizarding Bank key. That's all anyone really needed when running away was the only option given.

One look at the room that was once a place he could call home now looked gloomy and empty. With a quick swish of his wand, the duffle bag came into his arms. He set a small open letter by his night table and blew off the only candle that lit.

Without hesitation, the young man apparated from his mansion and in a matter of seconds appeared in another one similar to his own. He stepped on to the veranda and knocked on the large golden Goblin faced knobs. Patience was not one of his virtues and thus banged on the door with all the force he could muster when no one answered him the first time.

Apparently, the residents of the manor were not in close proximity to the front door. So he did the only thing he could think of to get away from this cold winter night.

The door creaked open with one motion of his wand and after he casted a charming spell on the door, "Alohomora." His footsteps echoed within the main hall. It did seem unoccupied so he walked over to the spiral stairway and leaned against the banister. The large miniature dome shaped chandeliers made a peaceful chime.

"Is anyone home?" His voiced echoed. He waited a millisecond for a reply but none came.

No answer.

That only grew his impatience. So he began to walk up the stairway. Since knowing this house had its advantages, it was easy to get around. He found himself on the third floor and turned to the right. The first bedroom door facing the stairway was where his longtime best friend slept in. To the average guest, it would have been rude to not knock but this was no ordinary guest.

He was considered part of the family.

The door soundlessly opened and he poked his head inside. No one seemed to be in this room as well. Where had they all gone? Quickly he shoved his wand inside the front pocket of his cloak and gave a little whistle. Personally, he had no intention to look around the room. But then again, he had no intention to stay in an empty manor.

"Malfoy," A deep male voice came from the other end of the room where the bathroom was located inside. "I didn't expect to see you here so soon."

Draco turned around and eyed the young man before showcasing his well known smirk. "With an invitation like this, you think I'd stay in that madhouse?"

His friend shook his head sadly and pointed at his small leather sofa, an indication to sit down. As Draco took the offer, his friend walked over to the fireplace and began to gently poke it. Instantly, fire lid up and the room had a sort of idealistic set to it. "You're right; you would have been here days ago if I invited you earlier."

Draco noticed the flickering light of the fire had small sparks of green. It was a hint that it was the left over spell that was casted to speak to another wizard or witch through the fireplace. He looked up and observed his friend. "So why didn't you answer your goddamn door?"

"I didn't hear?" He said meekly.

"And talking to someone through the fire was more important then letting me inside?" Draco added. His friend shook his head once again and sat next to him on the sofa.

"Would I ever do that?" He said in a mock like tone. "Malfoy, you know me better than that."

"Sometimes I don't know you well enough, Zabini." Draco muttered then changed the topic to something more lightly. "So who was that you were speaking to?" Blaise kept silent for about five seconds and stared off into the fire.

"A friend," he stated.

"Do I know…this friend?" Draco asked.

"Yes and no." Blaise replied then got up from his seat and went over to his minuscule fridge. "Drink?" He asked over his shoulder and Draco shook his head. Blaise continued to look through to find something to drink and came back with a bottle of water. Draco decided against asking Blaise any further questions for the night. It didn't seem like it was his business to meddle in others' affairs, especially those close to him. He knew about respect first hand and that's exactly what he gave Blaise; respect.

"Look, I'm really tired—"

"Say no more." Blaise interrupted as he gestured him to follow. Blaise took him to the far end of the corridor on the same floor and opened a half closed door. He looked around the room for a second then faced Draco who also speculated the room. "Not much, but it will do for the time being."

"No, it's good." Draco replied. He noticed the replica bed, couch, desk, chairs, fire place, dresser, chest, and an indoor closet. He gave his friend a thankful look then threw himself on the bed. "I think I'm going to enjoy being your roommate."

Blaise gave him a sudden haunted look, "that's until your mother finds out."

"I wouldn't give her so much credit, Blaise." Draco shrugged off. "She isn't one to notice my absence until she runs out of money."

"Knowing her shopping sprees, she will notice soon." Blaise added.

"I'm eighteen; she can't drag me out of here without my own free will." Draco stated. He was getting tired of this, hadn't they gone through this before the other day? Did Blaise suddenly doubt his invitation to let Draco stay at the Zabini Manor?

"She doesn't need to drag, she knows magic. That's enough to haul you out in a second." Blaise said knowingly.

"Blaise?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up." Draco said sullenly before kicking off his shoes. Blaise gave his friend a skeptical look before leaving the room and closing the door.

**

* * *

A/N: The plot will develop and I guarantee this will be a drama filled adventure! Take the time to review, it will be greatly appreciated.**


	2. At the Inn

**Title: **What You Don't Know, Can't Hurt

**Summary: **Blaise asks an owed favor and Draco complies. What Draco doesn't know is that Blaise's intentions for a certain girl will end up being the girl Draco wants for himself. Will conflicts arise? You betcha!

**Disclaimer: **No, I do not own Harry Potter and Co.

**A/N:** I want to make a few things clear on this story:

1. It's post Hogwarts.

2. Draco's father is in Azkaban. But there is a very good reason why Draco can't stay with his mom, you will just have to stay tune to know.

3. It will be a light sort of fluffy story. Because I want to try something different. If you want a dark story, check out my other story: Last Chance for Redemption.

4. For those who are confused it is a DM/HG story and if you're confused about something else, let me know so I can clear it up for you on the next chap.

If things are going too slow/fast please let me know but don't worry too much about it cause the characters will stay in character…I hope!

**Chapter 2: At the Inn****

* * *

**

The shabby inn was dim, filled with pipe smoke creating a dark setting. After three months of innovation, the inn was re-opened for all, which brought a lot of business. More business meant more workers for Tom, the Inn keeper. And more workers meant he wanted young out-of-school witches and wizards to work for him. The problem with Tom was he couldn't trust adults. But he had a lot of confidence in his new employee. Just at that moment he was thinking about her, she walked through the doors wearing a long black cloak and carrying a Daily Prophet Newsletter.

She gave him a smile and stepped in his office where she came to pick up her apron and name pin in order to begin her daily routine of bookkeeping, feeding the guests, washing and sweeping the floor and checking in for any shipments that came in for the day. It may seem like she did most of the work, leaving Tom with nothing. It was for this very reason why he was so keen on her. She took more of the workload then necessary. It was the workaholic in her that caused him to shake his head as he continued to do his paperwork in his office when she left.

He trusted Hermione Granger.

Hermione, on the other hand, enjoyed the favoritism he gave her over the other employee's but that wasn't her concern. She needed the money and she needed something to keep her busy during her days off of Auror Training. It was too much for some, yes but if one didn't work they wouldn't have anything to really live for. That was her motto anyway.

She sat down at the front counter pouring an old wizard a Sherry drink. He naturally thanked her and she continued on with reading the Daily Prophet. It was the first time she had picked this newspaper up in weeks but the cover was something no one can just pass up.

Apparently, Narcissa Malfoy was fretting over her missing son. For some strange reason, Draco Malfoy left the house with a note simply stating he'd be back in a few months time while taking the entire family fortune with him. No one had any news of where he was but then again who would want to search for a death eater and why not let him rot and die wherever he may be? Just because he proved that he was forced by his father to join the ranks of Lord Voldemort's loyal servants and had never killed a single soul, didn't mean he wasn't capable of being evil.

Hermione knew he was and she had no idea why Dumbledore would let him off so easily. No body really did. With a sigh of confusion, she threw the newsletter aside and looked up to see her best-friend walk in. His messy red-hair was covered in white snow while his face flushed from the blistering cold she had encountered minutes ago.

"Hello Hermione!"

"Hey Ron, what brings you here?" She asked.

"Well I don't start work in like ten minutes so I thought I'd come and say hello." He stated with a shrug. She glanced down at his dark red cloak and noticed a Daily Prophet slightly poking out of the pocket as he made his way over to a seat by one of the near tables.

"So you read today's news?" She asked while joining him.

"Yeah, nothing interesting." He stated wearily.

"What do you mean? Haven't you seen Malfoy's mom plea for the Ministry to do a thorough search for her son?" Hermione stated in shock.

"Like I said nothing interesting. Who care's if the physco disappeared?"

"Of course it is interesting. Why would Malfoy leave a grand mansion like that and leave his mother by herself? Last time I checked, he was pretty keen on her."

"Hermione, however weird or bizarre that sounds, I'd rather have him gone from this civilization then have someone like him around to stir up some trouble. When we get our Auror certificates, I don't want to be catching him over and over and over again."

"If he ever did something heinous, one capture is enough. He'll be fed off to the Dementors in no time. Why would we be capturing him over and over again?"

"Because…" Ron said then leaned in to whisper to Hermione. "They've caught Lucius about to escape and the only reason why they caught him was because he was weak. Imagine someone young like Malfoy? He'd be out in a snap."

Hermione's eyes widen in horror. "Are they going to feed him to the Dementor's kiss?"

"Eventually," Ron stated then looked over at the crooked clock. "Got to go, I don't want Fred and George having a fit."

"See you later." Hermione said as she watched him leave and she went off to think about what she heard. Of course the Daily Prophet would not want to mention something that dangerous to the community; it would only frighten everyone all over again. And although Harry had won the final war in their last year in Hogwarts, it didn't mean something as evil and monstrous as Voldemort can't rise again.

But wherever Draco had run off to, couldn't be that bad. He was smart enough to take his fortune with him. Maybe he went off to live somewhere nice like the Bahamas. Hermione then gave a snort, yeah right. Whatever it may be, he stated he'd be back and he probably would be.

"Hermione, get over here. Take this upstairs to the Madame Flurry in Room 21." Tom yelled from the front desk. Hermione put her thoughts of Draco's absence behind her as she carried out her order.

**An hour later…**

The familiar door bell rang as two men in heavy cloaks entered the room with large hoods covering the majority of their faces. Hermione looked over her shoulder after washing the table and thought nothing of it as she walked off to the front desk. She patiently waited for them to make their way over since she presumed they wanted a room or maybe something to eat or drink. But that wasn't the case. They seemed to find themselves at a far off table for two and began talking secretly. Hermione would have considered this suspicious if it was her first week working here but now she was use to men like them; men who hung about Knockturn Alley.

After half an hour of no communication, she left the front desk with one of the other employees while she headed off to clean the floors. When she had made her way around their table, one of them looked up at her. From what she can see, he gave her a grin. Not an evil, distrusting grin but a smooth, friendly one. She felt she had seen this grin before but couldn't quite place her finger on it so she settled for a friendly hello.

The man took the opportunity to nod his head but had no reply whatsoever. Hermione didn't say a word because she was already getting a sense of uneasiness from the other man who stared at her. If she could see through the black veil, she assumed he would be glaring at her. Hermione didn't know why.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" Hermione asked the man who had smiled at her a second ago.

"Yeah you're bo—"

"No." The other one replied sternly, cutting off the first. Hermione decided not to bother these two creeps after all and walked off. But half way down the room, she could have sworn she heard one of them say, "What was that about blaze?"

Unfortunately she couldn't be bothered with that because there where meals to be served to the Inn guests.

* * *

**A/N: **'blaze' wasn't spelled incorrect. I did it intentionally. So don't send me any reviews about that. 


	3. Asking for Advice

**Title: **What You Don't Know, Can't Hurt

**Summary: **Blaise asks an owed favor and Draco complies. What Draco doesn't know is that Blaise's intentions for a certain girl will end up being the girl Draco wants for himself. Will conflicts arise? You betcha!

**Disclaimer: **No, I do not own Harry Potter and Co.

**A/N:** Wow, I love you guys for your wonderful reviews! About the 'blaze thing' well it had to do with Hermione's perception of what she heard. I mean, she obviously won't put two and two together, now would she? To her, it sounded like blaze and that's how I wrote it. So no more confusion on that, I hope. And about Draco's mom, you can wonder all you want but I won't say till the right time comes.

One more thing, I'm sorry for the shortness of the chapters but it's just how I wanted to keep it because I got other stories to work on as well. Actually I should be posting the next chapter for Expect the Unexpected but instead I'm here, posting this one. All because of your encouraging reviews! Keep them coming, thanks!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Asking for Advice**

By night fall, the majority of the wizards and witches have gone back to their homes. Very few stores remained open at this hour. One of them was the Leaky Cauldron, the Inn, where two men stepped out from. They walked down the road until they came across a small fork. Once the two suspicious looking men in black cloaks walked down a narrow passage way of Diagon Alley, the gate way leading to Knockturn Alley, they came to a stop. The two of them slipped off their hoods and the first one with bright green eyes glared down at the other pair of clear blue ones.

"This is what you called me to go check out!" The first yelled. "She's a bloody muggle."

"You figure?" The other rolled his eyes. "I hoped you'd see things differently, Adams."

"I'm not exactly a freaking fan of muggle witches, you know so give me some slack." He replied. "Anyways, to the point of this stupid stalking—"

"We we're not stalking." The other interrupted.

"You're absolutely right, Zabini. Because _you_ were stalking her, not me."

Blaise rolled his eyes once again and doubted his friend. Why had he brought him here? Did he expect better co-operation than Draco? Blaise looked over at Douglas Adams. His parents, like Blaise's, may have turned their sides on the Dark Lord before the final war but he didn't expect this hatred for muggles to still exist in Douglas. A life time of anti-muggle drilled in his brains must have altered his mentality forever. Well not Blaise. He had always considered muggle-born witches and wizards his equal and was sort of thankful his parents betrayed Lord Voldemort.

"Okay, I didn't imagine you to cheer me on or anything but I was expecting a bit of support on your end." Blaise replied.

Douglas began to laugh, a long loud laugh. He flipped his hood back on and began to walk off to Borgin and Burkes.

"What's so funny?" Blaise asked, following right behind him.

"Because she's mudblood!" Douglas replied as he looked over his shoulder.

Blaise hated that word that was used for muggle witches and wizards but couldn't really stop his friends from ever saying it. He had more patience when Draco said it but when it came to Douglas, he couldn't stand to hear it. "Don't call her that man. I just thought you'd be a bit more supportive and give me some advice on how to get her. And where are you going?"

"Listen, I'm not going to help you get a muggle girl. I don't think she's right for you. I never did and never will and I was hoping this shop will get your mind off her." Douglas replied irritated. His green eyes blazed with a sparks of fire. Blaise shook his head disappointedly and silently followed his friend into Borgin and Burkes.

The two of them hadn't spoken to each other as they looked around the shop. Blaise stared at a pair of evil-looking masks and gave a shudder. It definitely reminded him of Voldemort which also reminded him of the other creepy looking thing next to the masks. It was a skeletal withered looking human hand. It looked like something he wanted to reach out and touch. He felt like he was in a trance. Should he touch this ugly thing?

"The Hand of Glory, would you like to look at it better?" Mr. Borgin asked Blaise behind the register desk. The man's voice surprised Blaise, taking him out of the strange trance. He turned half way to stare at the weird looking man. Blaise remembered him from the Malfoy dinner party a few years ago. Personally, Blaise would never care to step into a place like this and he simply shook his head to answer the man. The hand was in a clear glass and Blaise wanted it to stay that way. When the shop keeper turned back into his small office disappointed, Blaise looked around for Douglas who seemed to have disappeared.

The moment Blaise turned around in search for his friend, a pair of cards dripping in fresh blood appeared in his face and he stepped back. "What the hell!"

"Blood-stained Cards, cool eh?" Douglas stated coming out of the shadows.

"Definitely not cool, Doug." He replied as he pushed Douglas's hand.

"You're no fun man, why didn't you bring Draco?" He said dejectedly as he placed the cards on a purple looking cushion.

"Maybe because that would have ruined a perfectly good chance in seeing Hermione."

"Ewww, you know her name too? Damn, you probably know her schedule and what she eats for breakfast, lunch and dinner too." Douglas scorned and began to look around the other side of the shop. "Are you in fucking love with her?"

"No!" Blaise replied. "And for your information I don't know her schedule or what she eats. I just found out she works on Thursday's."

"Whatever man. You're just sick. Do you have fever or maybe you ate the wrong thing?" Douglas asked as he picked up a starring glass eye and bounced it in his hand while looking back at Blaise.

"No, I'm not sick."

"Why didn't you just let Draco in on this? I mean, why me?"

"I thought you'd understand better."

"Dear Drake wouldn't understand?" Douglas asked in whiny tone. "But I could have sworn you two were like the best buddies in the world. What would he think if you kept something like this from him?"

"He hates Hermione. Something like this is best kept from him."

Douglas rolled his eyes and placed the eye back down on the counter and walked out of the store with Blaise at his tail. "What did you want me to do anyways?"

After Blaise caught up with him he replied, "Tell me how to get her. You're better with girls then me."

"Me? Are you fucking insane? I only fuck sluts and Granger is no slut. She's a freaking prude and she has this attitude problem. I don't even see why you fancy her." Douglas said. Then looked at Blaise who had no response. "Man, if you want her so bad ask Draco to help you. He knows this kind of shit."

Blaise thought about it for a few minutes as they walked back into Diagon Alley. Should he ask Draco's opinion and advice? Well, Draco did after all owe him a huge favor for staying with him at his manor while his parents were out. He deserved a returned favor, did he not?

"Okay." Blaise decided. "But don't tell a soul that I like Hermione." He threatened Douglas while staring at him dead in the eyes to make it clear he wasn't playing around.

Douglas placed his hand to his chest and said, "Me? Tell the entire world about your fetishes for a certain muggle witch? Never!"

* * *

**A/N: **Short, I know. Don't chase me with those scissors, please! I'm just trying to get a few things out and this chapter clears out a few things.

1. It was Douglas and Blaise that were in the Inn.

2. Blaise has feelings for Hermione. Isn't she just the luckiest girl? lol

3. Douglas and Blaise's parent's went against the dark side at the very last moment before the final war. In the coming chapters, it will explain a bit more on that.

4. Blaise is lenient with muggle-borns but Douglas is not.

Douglas Adams is a character that I made up. Don't think I created him to confuse you or stray you from the other characters. I did it because I need him sometimes, you'll see why later on so don't worry too much about this strange guy, lol. He's not going to be around a lot.

Any other questions? Feel free to ask.


	4. Strictly Business

**Title: **What You Don't Know, Can't Hurt

**Summary: **Blaise asks an owed favor and Draco complies. What Draco doesn't know is that Blaise's intentions for a certain girl will end up being the girl Draco wants for himself. Will conflicts arise? You betcha!

**Disclaimer: **No, I do not own Harry Potter and Co.

**A/N: **Yeay! Thanks a lot for the reviews guys! Sadly it out did my other story, ahaha. But anyways, I know I'm posting this too soon but I did it because I'll be really busy this week and I don't want to keep you guys waiting forever. And another reason is because it easies a few of your wondering mines about the issue between Draco and his mommy!

**sex4u**, I'm glad that your last name is the same as my made-up character, lol.

**HermioneMalfoys1**, I choose that name out of the blue, mainly because I was thinking about what happened to Disney's the Doug show. It doesn't air over here anymore so I was like hmm…and pop came the name of my character. The last name was random too so, yeah no crushes or anything, I guarantee. lol

**lorett-returned**, thanks for taking the time to read my story and reviewing. I also wanted to say, post your next chapter for **It Had To Be You** already! lol

Who ever was wondering about what Blaise said to Hermione at the Inn it was suppose to be something stupid like "yeah, your body" Since it was an unfinished sentence, Word replaced the **your** to a **you're**. It was nothing that much of a big deal anyways, aren't you glad Douglas shut him up before he made a fool of himself?

To all the others who I can't mention due to my rush, I'm just as pleased with your reviews as well. And to anyone who gets angry with my short chapters, I made this a bit longer. So hopefully that will please you.

**Chapter 4: Strictly Business**

* * *

A small crackle could be heard within the large drawing room. In seconds a short stubby man dressed in green robes materialized. The matching hat with a white feather attached to the side came off due to the high temperature of the room. It felt like the manor was purposely heated to create beads of sweat to appear down the sides of his face. And it had. Another peculiar thing about the house was how dark and disturbing it appeared. No source of light was available except for that of the fire in which he had used as transportation.

But he was no fool when it came to this place for that reason he had two ministry body guards awaiting him right outside the doors. He chose to use the Floo Network because unfortunately the manor had an anti-apparating spell. He slowly viewed the delicacy of the room that was filled with dark colors. He stared at the paintings along the walls that gave a slight animation and character to the room. One in particular was a mirror like portrait above the fire place of the very woman he had come here for. And in that very moment, she decided to present herself. She glided through the large oak entrance doors dressed in a black material robe with green rubies circulating her neck and wrists as well as the stitching of the robes down to her feet. If he didn't know any better, he would have estimated that the robe cost a pretty gallon.

"Hello Cornelius, what pleasure it is to have you here." She greeted. The woman's voice was smooth, low and dark; emphasizing her pale skin, grey eyes and black ensemble. She generated an eerie presence that matched the heated dim room.

"Good evening, Mrs. Malfoy." Cornelius Oswald Fudge replied. He didn't move a step as he watched Narcissa Malfoy move around the room until she came upon the black leather couches. On the coffee table lay a tray with two tea cups and she picked one up for herself.

"Care for a drink?" She asked as she watched him charily.

"Oh, no, no. That's quite alright. I rather get to the point of this uh…late meeting" He responded agitatedly.

"Very well." Narcissa said grimly and placed her cup back down on the tray. "This meeting is about my son, Minister."

"Of course, how could I have not guessed?" He said. "We do not have any leads on your son, yet." He added.

"Why not?" She gritted. "I gave you all of his friends' locations, all of his possessions that you can track him down with. Why haven't you found anything?" She commanded.

"It isn't as easy as you think. Your son is far cleverer than you perceived him to be. He had casted a distracking spell on all of his possessions as well as the ones that he had taken with him and he is not staying with any of his friends."

"So what are you going to do? Shall I take matters into my own hands?" She asked, irritated. Her eyes bore into his own and he stepped back and rested one hand on the shelf over the fireplace. He truly hated this woman. He didn't give her any respect other than the one that was for show. Something about her company made his skin crawl. Although she had proved to be not involved in her husbands doing's as a death eater, it didn't change the fact that the entire Ministry kept their eyes on her. There was something slightly odd about her. She was not a force to be reckoned with.

"His disappearance is for the Ministry to handle, not you Mrs. Malfoy." Cornelius answered.

"And how will you handle my son's disappearance?" She asked coldly as she looked him over from head to toe.

"You say he took the Gringotts key. Until he uses his account there, we have nothing to do but wait. He will have to use it eventually and when he does, we will be able to track him down." He explained.

"I see." Narcissa replied and stood up from her seat. "If that is all you have so far, you may leave. The next time I speak with you, it better be a lead to my son's whereabouts." She didn't look back at him as she left the dark room.

Cornelius watched her, annoyed but at the same time startled. The woman was an eerie witch. He had a feeling she was threatening his life as well. What he couldn't understand was her lack of remorse for her son's absence. Other women would be weeping for days on end. It was one of the things that he noticed when she first came at night into the Ministry reporting her son's absence. She wasn't hysterical but she was very demanding.

Cornelius shook his head sadly. Once a Malfoy, always a Malfoy, he thought to himself and watched her walk out of the room. The moment she glided past the overly large portrait of herself, Cornelius Fudge could have sworn he was seeing things. But it was too late to pinpoint what he thought he saw because Narcissa left the room. But he did think about it for a second. The portrait that had mirror-like rims didn't show her reflection. Maybe he had too much Fire Whiskey the other night and it must have affected his eye sight.

After rubbing his eyes, he took the same root back through the fire to get to his office.

**At the Zabini Mansion…**

Draco entered the living room and plopped on the arm chair. He rested his hand on his head and gave a loud sigh. Tonight had been a long and hectic night. He was beginning to hate his late night prowls no matter how much he needed the practice. He could still smell the stale smell of dry blood on his clothes. He had to take a shower and change soon but not until his guest appeared. He just hoped that Blaise would not come home so soon because he had business to take care of that was not meant for anyone's ears but his own.

He silently waited in the room for fifteen minutes when finally the fireplace changed color and began making static like noise. Draco grabbed a cushion and placed it underneath his knees once he reached the front of the green glowing fire. A face came into view. It pleased Draco for a second but then noticed the despondent expression on the man's face.

"What's wrong, Nott?" Draco asked.

"Sorry dear boy, it's going to take longer than we have planned." Harold Nott replied. His rugged face showed a slight pity for Draco and that only made Draco's eyes dilate in anger.

"Longer? No! Didn't you say you had connections? What good use are you if you don't use it?" Draco said harshly. Nott may be a wanted death eater and Lucius's best-friend but Draco couldn't care less if he raised his voice at him. He was smelly, tired and sick of all the waiting.

"Of course I have contacted him but he is a very busy man, Draco. It will take much longer than expected for him to come to London." Nott replied unaffected by Draco's rudeness.

"How long?" Draco asked.

"I believe you might have to stay a bit longer with the Zabini's and this might mean you can't use your fortune until—" Nott carried on but Draco abruptly interrupted him.

"For fucks sake! Tell me how long I have to wait!"

"A months time maybe two the most, sorry boy." Nott answered.

"Are you kidding me? Please don't tell me this is like some early April fool's joke! I can't hide away from my mother that long." Draco replied.

"Don't you think I know that?" Nott stated. "But we can't do anything but wait. You'll just have to try your best to be patient, not show yourself to the public and continue your practices, you hear my boy?"

"Yes, of course." Draco said miserably.

"Good." Nott said.

Draco didn't like the way Nott was treating him. He disliked the man with a passion and only respected him because of his father. If Nott was trying to take the father-figure for Lucius, Draco had a thing or two to say about that. To make it clear this was strictly business and nothing else, Draco said. "This had better be worth the wait and the money I'm giving you. For all I know you could be fucking around with me."

"We've been through this before Draco. I want to help you get rid of her as much as you do. Believe me boy; the money is just an added bonus." Nott replied smugly then disappeared from the fireplace. Draco rolled his eyes and walked out of the living room to get cleaned.

Along the way to his personal bathroom, he couldn't help but pray that he was doing the right thing. As much as he wished that things were the way they use to be before his father was sent to Azkaban, he knew he had to face reality one way or another. He was torn between the love for his mother and the deed he must commit in order to save himself. Draco never had to face such choices before in his life and now it was all that occupied his mind.

After he took a quick shower and changed into something casual, he went in search for Blaise who he hasn't seen all day. Draco checked Blaise's room and found no one there. Maybe he was in the Game's Room, so with that in mind Draco went off to the second floor. Half way down the steps, Draco came to a halt. He was hearing voices and one of them sounded like Blaise's.

"Quidditch game with the guy's tomorrow. Remember." Blaise was saying.

"Yeah, I won't. Talk to you tomorrow or something and don't let that girl get to your head." The other unrecognizable voice replied.

"She's not getting to my head. Would you just drop that subject?" Blaise replied a bit irritated.

"Whatever, later." The other answered.

Draco heard the front door of the manor close and he made his way over to the balcony of the stairway to see who it was. But it was too late because Blaise was making his way up the stairs. Blaise caught sight of him and came to a stop.

"How long have you been standing there?" Blaise asked suspiciously.

"Enough to hear that you like a girl." Draco replied with a shrug. He didn't find it interesting anyways so he didn't know why Blaise stared at him oddly.

"Right. So where have you been?" Blaise changed the subject.

"Around and you?" Draco asked.

"No where special." Blaise answered.

It seemed like none of the boy's wanted to tell the other of their whereabouts for that day and they settled on going to the kitchen to grab something to eat before they headed off to play games in the Game Room. In their silence, they both reached the kitchen and received a meal from one of the house-elves and a bottle of whiskey. Both Draco and Blaise were social drinkers but tonight it seemed they both wanted to take their minds off their tangled lives.

After a couple of sips from the burning taste of whiskey, Blaise set his goblet down. "I have something to confess."

"Confess?" Draco laughed. "We aren't even drunk yet and you're already willing to confess your life's sins."

"Just shut up Draco and listen." Blaise replied.

"I'm all ears." Draco said with a swing of his goblet and another sip.

"I like this girl."

"Oh really, I could have sworn you liked guys." Draco said rolling his eyes.

"Will you just shut up? Anyways, she's not exactly an easy type of girl to get and I need your help to get her." Blaise continued.

Draco laughed for a short time and set his goblet down as well. "What can I possibly do? Give you pointers on how to fuck her?"

"Not exactly, she's not the fucking type."

"The plot thickens." Draco said with a smirk.

"Can you be serious for a minute here?" Blaise asked irritated.

"Okay, don't get your freaking knickers in a twist. Go on." Draco said amusingly.

"It's not a choice in whether you're going to help me because you owe me big time anyways." Blaise added as a matter of factly.

"Come on!" Draco exclaimed. "I have a lot of problems and girls are not one of them right now."

"It's not like this girl is for you, she's for me. I want you to just advise me on what to do."

Draco stared at Blaise for a few seconds and noticed that his blue eyes did not have a glint of mockery. Blaise was serious about this girl and reluctantly Draco complied. "Fine, Zabini. You'll get your lessons. But this is a one time thing. She better be the one you want to marry because I'm not going to do it again."

Blaise gave a chuckle. "Got it."

* * *

**A/N:** For those reviewers who wonder about Blaise's interest in Hermione and how it came to be, it will be revealed later on I promise! As for what is going on between Draco and Mr. Nott is for you to guess and for me to let you know when the time comes. Oh, I know I'm evil, sorry! 

Oh to get you guys all active behind those screens, I decided to give a little poll.

What should the next chapter be on?

1. Draco and Blaise.

2. Hermione, Harry and Ron.

3. Narcissa and whoever else I want there.

4. Douglas and the Slytherin gang.

5. Dumbledore and Snape.

Whichever is chosen the most, I will favor. I know people want to see Hermione and Draco action but if I don't get the story on a foundation it will be just like all those other stories you guys end up not wanting to read any more. But I promise once their time comes, it will be really good. Mwahahah…choke. Water!


	5. First, Talk

**Title: **What You Don't Know, Can't Hurt

**Summary: **Blaise asks an owed favor and Draco complies. What Draco doesn't know is that Blaise's intentions for a certain girl will end up being the girl Draco wants for himself. Will conflicts arise? You betcha!

**Disclaimer: **No, I do not own Harry Potter and Co.

**A/N: **So much hot reviews, holla! LOL, okay seriously though thanks much to all of you guys who participated in the little poll and since most of you want sexy Draco and Blaise, I must give. Sorry to the other's who want Harry, Ron and Hermione, I promise there will be more of them. Hold on and read!

**Chapter 5: First, Talk**

_

* * *

Draco,_

_After your little disappearing act and the Daily Prophet's column on you, your mother hasn't stopped harassing me about where the fuck you are. I don't know about you but I'm getting sick of telling her I don't know where you are when I really do. I'm no snitch but this is getting ridiculous. What do you have against her anyways?_

_Vincent Crabbe_

Draco rolled his eyes after reading the letter for the second time and set the letter on the dinning table. He would think about the letter later but in the mean time he checked the other mail he received. It was the Daily Prophet, a news letter he decided to subscribe for ever since his mother decided to have a Ministry Missing Search. And one look at the cover page made his stomach turn. His mother now had a full-blown moving picture of him in his Quidditch clothes that his mother had taken during the summer. He should have never given his mother too much credit because not it was worse than he thought; his mother didn't waste any time searching every nook and cranny for her son. His known disappearance was making his life difficult. He couldn't show himself to the public anymore or else someone would spill the beans to his mother.

And what made his life even more complicated was the thought of not using his money; money that pleasantly beckons for him to touch and use. Of course, he knew what the Ministry and his mother planned. They were waiting on him to use his Gringotts key and it would be rather stupid for him to be tempted by money. Yes, there were a few minor things he needed to purchase but Blaise took care of that for him in the mean time. Yet, Draco never thought of the day when he would have to scoop so low as asking for a friends help. If one looked at the bigger picture, they would say Draco was homeless and poor. And logically that was the case. There was so much Blaise could do and that 'helping hand' would soon have to come to an end.

Blaise's parents maybe out of town for a couple of months but that didn't excuse the fact that Draco needed to buy a small accommodation for himself. It was Blaise who had suggested that to him a few nights ago. But it was rather impossible until his mother was out of the picture, he couldn't touch his money and use it for himself. Draco placed his hands on his face, in fatigue. He was so sick of this cat and mouse chase with his mother. He was sick of all the waiting he had to do. And there were so many things crashing down on him at one time it made him regret for taking his old life for granted.

And he hated the one person who caused all of this to happen to him over night. He hated his enemy, Harry Potter, for getting his father locked up in jail. He hated how life for the ones who were on the light side was all handy-dandy when he couldn't even walk into a room without looking behind him. He hated all of this and he couldn't do anything but wait and the worse part of waiting is when waiting is intolerable. That's exactly what Draco was; impatient and time was definitely not on his side.

**Two hours later…**

Blaise woke up extra late and the first thing he did after he finished his late breakfast in his bed was look for his new mentor. He was a bit relaxed now that he knew he had someone to let him know what to do with Hermione because, to Blaise, she was a challenge. And that was one of the reasons that got Blaise to notice her.

He remembered how a month ago, on a Thursday, before Draco moved in, he visited the Leaky Caldron to see how much it cost to stay at the Inn for a month or so. He knew that Draco needed a way out of his mother's life and Blaise was willing to lend Draco some money, seeing that he couldn't find his Gringotts key at the time, to live at the Inn. But the moment he entered the place, the first person he caught sight of was Hermione.

She looked just the way she had when they graduated from Hogwarts except now; she looked more radiant and free. She looked happy and something about her cheerful smiles turned his insides. Blaise had never really hated her for being a muggle-born but he also never liked her for being a righteous bookworm but it was a different case now. She tempted him to introduce himself since she didn't seem like she knew who he was. But Blaise had held himself back from her; he didn't have the balls to talk to her. Because if she figured out he was a friend of Draco's, someone she seemed to despise with her every fiber and bone, she would hate him instantly.

Yet after all of those weeks later, Blaise couldn't help but visit the Leaky Caldron every Thursday. He knew he couldn't show his face around that place all the time or she would have considered him a pervert or a stalker, no matter how much it was the opposite from that. Blaise never took for granted that he had a choice of seeing her from a far unaware, to admire her beauty. And every time he felt like talking to her, the wrong words would form and he would end up saying something degrading. Something he didn't want her to see was the Slytherin in him. And hopefully, Draco would help him be more subtle and gentle with the ladies because boy, did he need it after almost making a fool of himself a few days ago.

Blaise walked into the dinning room and found Draco who looked like a miserable wasted wizard. He noticed the Single-Malt Whiskey next to Draco and he shook his head pitiably as he walked over to his friend. He took the bottle from the table as well as the mail Draco received and glanced over it once.

"Draco, what did I tell you about drinking in the morning?" Blaise said in a father like tone.

"That I'll be a drunken-retard before the rip old age of 20," Draco muttered.

"That's my little boy, you learn very well. Now I'm going to stash all of the whiskeys in this place from your sight." Blaise said as he took a mental note down to hide them as well as wine, beer, and anything else that's alcoholic in his manor.

"Whatever, it's your call." Draco replied and rubbed his red eyes. It seemed like Draco didn't have a good nights rest at all. Something must have kept him up but Blaise knew better than to ask that. He sat down on the chair next to Draco's and read the Daily Prophet.

After about two minutes Blaise said, "Narcissa isn't wasting any time on finding you. Next thing you know she'll have flyers all over the world 'Draco Malfoy, wanted for running away'" He made hand gestures in the air like he was reading a banner across a wall.

"That won't happen." Draco waved off but Blaise could see the haunted look in his eyes.

"You know…" Blaise trailed off as he skipped through the pages of the newsletter, "you never really told me why you're hiding from your mother."

Draco didn't look over his way and kept his eyes on the large ceiling-to-floor shaded windows. "She's just not who she use to be okay? I don't want to talk about it."

"You'll have to one day because even though she doesn't know you're with me, she will eventually put two and two together."

"She won't okay. She thinks I hate you, she'll never suspect a thing." Draco said in a final tone to drop the subject.

"Okay." Blaise shrugged and decided to move on to something more agreeable. "Now about those lessons."

It took Draco a good minute to figure out what Blaise was referring to before he replied, "Wait hold on, I never said anything about lessons. I'm no freaking teacher." Draco raised his hands up.

"But you said lessons the other day." Blaise corrected him but realized that he sounded like a baby and quickly added, "not that I need it anyways."

"Of course you do or you'll probably shit in your pants when you see this girl. Who is she anyways? Probably a Veela since she got you all hot and tempered." Draco said as he took a quick grab for the whiskey in Blaise's hand. Successfully, he took a great big gulp and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Blaise rolled his eyes at Draco's need for a whiskey during day time.

"She is far from a Veela but she's prettier than one." Blaise replied and took out his wand from his pocket, making the whiskey disappear from Draco's hand. But Draco had no time to actually think about Blaise's actions because he just spit out some of the whiskey in his mouth.

"Prettier! Are you fucking insane?" Draco said loudly. "No girl can be as pretty as a Veela unless you're like in love or something." Draco said as a matter of factly than looked over his friend once and widened his eyes. "Awww, fuck! You love her, don't you?"

"No! I fancy her. F-A-N-C-Y. So don't ever bring love into this." Blaise retorted with annoyance.

"So who is she for the last fucking time?" Draco asked.

"That's not important."

"Yes it is. How the hell am I suppose to help you out if you don't tell me her bloody name? Like is she some foreign new-comer or something? What you so ashamed of?" Draco persisted. Blaise gave a straight face and refused to answer him because no matter how bluntly he put it, Draco would never understand that Hermione was different from other girls he had talked to and seen. All Draco would ever see is the muggle blood in her.

"Let's just say you don't want to know. She's not your type anyways." Blaise replied.

"What type is she?" Draco asked.

"The smart type."

"And that's not my type? How the bloody hell do you know that?" Draco inquired.

"Every girl you've ever dated didn't know what the difference is between a rock and a bird." Blaise answered.

"Oh, right. Sorry for picking the ones who know how to have a good time? I bet you that so-claimed-smart girl isn't good in bed anyways."

"She's exclusive." Blaise stated with a smirk.

Draco narrowed his eyes down at Blaise and asked, "Exclusive, how?"

"She doesn't sleep around, you fool. She's probably the type to wait for the right kind of guy."

"So let me get this straight." Draco said standing up from his seat. "You like a smart girl that is deprived from sex and you want me to give you a few pointers in how to lay her in the sack?"

"No!" Blaise yelled out as he got up. "For the last time, if I wanted a good piece of fuck I would have gotten one from any girl. But she's different. I want to get to know her."

"Oh, so you don't know her name." Draco concluded without waiting for Blaise to reply. Blaise let it slip, it was better for Draco to assume than for him to be forced to tell Draco that he liked Hermione Granger.

"Why don't you just TALK to her?" Draco asked a second later.

"She's not so easy to talk to."

"What, she has a personality deficiency?"

"She has a…attitude problem, I guess. She's really bossy." Blaise corrected.

"Well, you've got yourself a keeper." Draco said sarcastically. "A smart, bossy and sexually deprived chick, now how do you expect me to give you pointers on that?"

Blaise gave a shrug. "I don't know."

Draco walked in a small circle and thought about it for a few seconds. "You know what? Just talk to the bloody girl. Then when you see that you're not getting anywhere, come back to me." Draco said but Blaise didn't really like that idea. Of course, he would have to talk to her sooner or later but the thought that she would run away when she recognized him kind of scared him. He wanted her to not judge him for being a Slytherin and just see him the way he really is; a friendly, thoughtful guy.

"Yeah, whatever."

**Later that day…**

The Leaky Caldron was filled with a few young witches and wizards. Every one of them seemed to be working on fixing something or decorating the main hall of the Inn. When Blaise stepped into the place, the first person he heard was the angelic voice of Hermione most likely instructing someone at the far end of the room. He stomped off some of the dirty snow his boots collected and gave a quick glance at himself. He was dressed in a black dress shirt, with a silver tie and a pair of black slacks with a nice thick black cloak with silver lining. Unfortunately it was something Draco suggested he should wear to look good and high class. It was a bit different from his casual robes but if it was to impress Hermione, it was worth the change.

It didn't seem like anyone really noticed that the door bell rang and Blaise made himself get comfortable at a table near the only front window. He instantly caught sight of Hermione who was speaking to someone. He noticed her hand gestures and how fluently she spoke as if she knew what to say next. It was nothing like how he felt. He was losing his trace of thought just by watching her and he couldn't even remember what Draco had told him to say to her when he had the guts to go up to her.

Hermione smiled at the man and slapped his arm, jokingly. It made Blaise wonder who the hell that man was and why he looked so familiar with that red hair. Of course he knew very few people who had red hair and that person definitely wasn't Ron Weasley. Although that goofy looking face looked familiar. Blaise moved his attention to the man's attire. It undeniably looked like second hand material. He shook his head, could it be one of the older Weasley's? Because Merlin knows why Ms. Weasley never stops having kids.

Hermione finally waved to the older Weasley brother as he went off to decorating the walls with banners. Blaise was curious as to what the decorating was for but put it behind him as he noticed Hermione walking over his way. He didn't have a hood over his head and he knew that she will never forget his face now that she catches a good glimpse of him. His mind began to race as he tried to think of something to say but she beat him to it. She gave him a warm smile and placed her little pad into her apron.

"I'm sorry, but you look awfully familiar. Have I seen you here before?" Hermione asks nicely. Blaise thought back to that day he walked into the Inn but he knew she never seen him that time or any of the other times he hid himself and he couldn't trust himself to say no to her so he nodded his head.

"Yeah, you've seen me before." Blaise replied. Hermione tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at him peculiarly.

"Is that so?" Hermione said.

"Well if you have a seat than I'll be glad to tell you where you've seen me before." Blaise said calmly. Truthfully, her towering over him made him a bit nervous and uncomfortable. And luckily, she didn't find anything wrong with his suggestion and sat herself down.

"So revive my memory please." Hermione said jokingly. Blaise by now completely forgot Draco's tip to say something seductive to Hermione and took out his hand to reacquaint himself.

"I'm Blaise Zabini, a graduated Hogwarts Student." Blaise replied. Hermione took his hand and shook it firmly. She must not really know who he was or else she wouldn't have been smiling at him politely.

"I remember you; you were in Slytherin weren't you?" She asked. Blaise took his hand back and nervously nodded. He was afraid of what she might say next. Everyone knew she hated Slytherins because of Draco and his taunts which he never really joined in even though he laughed here and there just to look like he was into degrading muggle-borns.

"That's weird, I never really seen you around Hogwarts except for graduation." Hermione went on. "It's nice to see an old Hogwarts student. How are you?"

Blaise literally choked on his own balls. How could she just speak to him so friendly when he was a Slytherin? Didn't she care? What happened to all her anger towards the Slytherins?

"I'm doing great, thanks. How are you doing?" He asked after a long awkward silence.

"I'm great." Hermione replied then arched her eyebrow. "I'm sorry to bring this up or anything, but were you a friend of Draco Malfoy?" She asked kindly. Blaise weighed out his options. If he told her he was, she would get up, leave and refuse to have further conversation with him but if he said he wasn't, Hermione would eventually find out, leave and refuse to speak to him ever again. Either case, being friends with Draco wasn't looking good. So he went for the less harsh of the two.

"No, not really. Why?" He asked convincingly. Hermione's happy-go-lucky expression changed at the news and gave a shrug.

"Nothing important," she said but Blaise took her hand gently and looked at her directly in the eyes. Ignoring the fact that her hands were nice and smooth, he said.

"It must be if you looking so down."

Hermione wasn't offended by the gesture but gave a little sigh. "Don't think I'm a friend of his or anything, it's just that he's been on the news lately. With his mother searching for him and his father in Azkaban, I feel kind of bad for the guy." She said sincerely. Now, as for Blaise he didn't understand at all what made her have a heart for someone as cruel as Draco after all the things he had done to her but it made him realize that she was a very unique girl with a heart of gold. She cared about her friends and her enemies, and he never met anyone who ever was like that. It was odd but at the same time, he wanted to go punch Draco for not noticing her. She was the most perfect girl he ever met and he didn't know why he hadn't noticed before. How could he have ever thought she would hate him for associating with a Slytherin bad-ass? Now, he regretted for lying to her. But he had to keep the charade up whether he liked it or not.

"Don't worry about him, he can handle himself." Blaise realizing what he just said quickly added, "Wherever he is."

Hermione took her hand back from him and stood up. "You're right but I just hope he doesn't end up found dead. I mean of course I wish death upon him a thousand times but to actually be dead is another case." She said with a shrug. She looked over her shoulder at the many people still working in the Inn and gave another sigh. "Well, I've got to head back to work. Still need to fix the place up."

"What's the occasion?" Blaise asked curiously.

"Surprise birthday party for my best friend Ron Weasley," Hermione said. "You know who he is right?" She asked in wonder.

"Yeah, Potter's friend."

It seemed that it didn't faze Hermione that Blaise used surnames because she clapped her hands together as though she thought of a great idea. "Well, if you want I can introduce you to the gang. The party is happening tonight." Hermione said happily.

"I don't think that's a good idea." Blaise considered. He didn't want to start a row with Potter and Weasley for being in speaking terms with Hermione because he knew how many times Draco was beaten the shit out of by those two and he didn't need the same crap.

"It will be so much fun! I promise they're harmless, it will be a great opportunity to reunite with Hogwart students." Hermione insisted.

Blaise came here to have a chance with Hermione and by all means, he didn't want to ruin the invitation she was giving him. It was the closest thing he had to getting to her as of now and he needed any excuse to be close to her. Why not? And if she promised Potter and Weasley will behave then he'd do the same. Besides, he couldn't say no to a sweet person like her. She was befriending him without judging him, how could he say no to that?

"All right, I'll come." Blaise decided as he got up to tower her. He was six feet tall and still growing compared to her five feet and six inches. He didn't really mind the difference because her beauty and intellect made up for the shortness; perfect combination in his opinion.

"That's great." Hermione smiled as she looked up at him and began to walk off. "See you here at eleven tonight. Don't be late." She said over her shoulder as she went back to the front desk.

"I'll be looking forward to it." Blaise stated with a smirk, something he had tried hard to hide the entire time, and left the Inn.

**

* * *

A/N: Goodies! We get a party! Ahaha, I'm just high tonight. At least I made up for my long absence with a long chapter, am I right? Sorry for making it all about Blaise, I had a bit of Draco in there too. Next chapter is dedicated to those who wanted Harry, Ron and Hermione. Oh and if you be real good with your sexy reviews I'll add something you guys will appreciate. Lemons? You'll never know Mwahahah. Just stay tune.**


	6. Second, Mingle Pt 1

**Title: **What You Don't Know, Can't Hurt

**Summary: **Blaise asks an owed favor and Draco complies. What Draco doesn't know is that Blaise's intentions for a certain girl will end up being the girl Draco wants for himself. Will conflicts arise? You betcha!

**Disclaimer: **No, I do not own Harry Potter and Co.

**A/N: **Sorry for a late update. Hope you guys like. What am I saying! My hand hurts you know, so you better like it!

**Chapter 6: Second, Mingle Pt 1**

* * *

The old oak-polished grandfather clock in the small corridor struck ten and the strike echoed its way over to the overly furnished drawing room. It made its way to the ears of a red-headed young man slouching over a couch. His hands rested on each cheek while his elbows were supported by the coffee table. His piercing blue eyes searched a way to out-smart his best-friend's Queen that had a direct access to his King. He bit his lower lip and looked up at his partner. It seemed that he had no way in winning this time but for the hell of it, he moved his pond right in front of his friends King.

"You're going to lose big time," His raven-haired friend replied to his move with a grin, "queen move two spaces down!" Obediently, his queen came right at the pond, dragged out her sword and sliced the pond in two. "Check-mate," he said with a huge grin.

"Harry, I seriously don't want to play chess anymore," The red-headed complained grumpily.

"And why is that, Ron?" His best-friend, Harry Potter, since boarding school days replied.

"I want to go out. Have fun or something, anything. As long as it's away from this manor," Ron Weasley stated as he placed his arms in front of his chest. Naturally, Ron did not mean what he was saying and Harry knew as well. The manor they apparently lived in was previously owned by the Black family. Number 12 Grimmauld Place was where Harry had settled in ever since he graduated from Hogwarts. It was also where he roomed with his two best-friends, Ron and Hermione. It was a grand manor and Harry took the duty as a friend to invite Fred and George, Ron's twin brothers, to also live with them. Even with all five, it seemed empty the majority of the time. They all had work and apprenticeships and had no time to really enjoy the beauty of the manor. But as much as Ron loved being here, enjoying the life of luxury, he wanted to go out.

"You just can't face it that you're losing," Harry said as he tried to ignore what Ron said last. To Ron, it was apparent Harry was avoiding going out. He forced Ron to stay indoors all day after work and won't stop playing this lousy game of Wizard Chess.

"I've beat you ten times in a row," Ron muttered.

Harry looked up at him and tilted his head to the side. "What is wrong with you? I thought you loved chess," Harry asked.

"Loved, past tense, with the rate you're going I'll hate chess by sunrise which brings to my attention that today is my birthday and I want to go out!" Ron said angrily.

"I thought I told you we are celebrating your birthday this weekend," Harry muttered.

"Yeah but that doesn't mean I don't want to go out for a few drinks at the pub," Ron retorted. Than something came to his attention as he widened his eyes. "Where's Hermione?" He asked.

Harry slightly stiffened and gave a low cough. "She's doing late shift at the Inn," he answered.

"Right," Ron said skeptically then lightened up like he came up with something brilliant, "which gives us more of a reason to go out and drink! Hermione won't be there to tell us off."

"Ron! If I didn't know you, I would consider you an alcoholic," Harry said in disbelief. "Can we continue this game that I'm going to win hands down?" As Harry looked down at the moving pieces, Ron mimicked Harry's statement and stuck out his tongue.

"I saw that," Harry warned.

Ron rolled his eyes and stood up angrily, "I'm out."

Harry jumped out of his armchair and followed Ron outside the drawing room, "come on! You can't leave just yet."

"Why is that?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"Because…umm…we need to finish this game?" Harry said unsure. His green eyes darted at the grandfather clock and back at Ron who was giving him a annoyed look, "she better be finished," he muttered to himself and gave a large grin, "sure let's go out!" Harry exclaimed in a fake excited tone. Ron was about to question him when suddenly he was pulled into a swirl. Harry had just apparated and grabbed him along for the ride. They both had only on their evening attires so when they appeared in front of the Leaky Cauldron, the cold of the night was bringing shivers up and down their bodies.

"What the bloody hell are we here for?" Ron asked irritated.

"Don't you want to pick up Hermione so we can all get drunk wisely?" Harry asked in a mock like tone. Ron began to mutter awful things under his breath and began to walk through the door. He was disappointed that Harry was going to bring Hermione when they both knew she wouldn't allow them to get drunk and he didn't like the way Harry was acting; he was all cautious and suspicious.

His gaze on Harry wavered as pitch black consumed him. Ron knew he stepped into the Inn but wasn't sure he was exactly in the Inn anymore. "Umm, Harry?" Ron called out as he swirled around. But where Harry was supposed to be standing, behind him, was no longer there. Not only that, it seemed he was the only one in the dark.

"Harry!" Ron exclaimed in worry.

He began moving in circles, until something hard came into contact with the lower portion of his leg. Pain surged through his leg and through out his entire body. "OW! Fuck!" Ron cursed loudly.

He didn't know what he hit but the thought of being alone in pitch darkness suddenly frightened him. He grabbed his wand and just at the same moment he decided to ignite some light source, the entire main entrance to the Leaky Cauldron lit up. Before he knew what hit him, music blared and all sorts of light began to flash. He stared blankly at the many faces in the room, all in which he knew, smiling at him and screaming, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

One minute Ron stood awkwardly in the crowded room and the next he was pulled into embraces and kisses. By the time the last person which happened to be Lavender Brown made her way to give him a big hug, Hermione and Harry emerged from the crowd. They had huge grins on their faces and were laughing like idiots. Ron automatically knew who decided to throw this surprise party and he made his way over to them.

"I knew," Ron yelled over the loud music, "I knew all along."

"Sure you did birthday boy," Hermione replied as she gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

**At the Zabini Mansion…**

"So where are you going?" Draco asked as he watched Blaise searching for something to wear in the walk-in closet. He had been trying to get Blaise to fess up on what happened earlier that day when he went to visit 'that girl' and all Blaise did was smile and daze off into space. Draco was getting fed up and he wanted to know if things went as he coached. More so, Draco wanted to be told that he was a genius since he had a feeling the little meeting with Blaise and 'that girl' went according to plan.

Finally Blaise walked out of the closet with a forest green dress shirt and a pair of black casual slacks. He also combed out his nest-of-a-hair. In Draco's opinion he looked too proper which only made him far more curious, "do you have some sort of date with her?" Draco asked.

"No." Blaise simply replied as he went into the bathroom to spray on some cologne. Draco leaned against the frame of the bathroom door and rolled his eyes.

"So where are you going?" Draco persisted.

"Out," Blaise stated.

"And you're not going to invite me?" Draco said in a sad like tone.

"If you really must know, I'm going to a party," Blaise said in an irritated voice. He brushed past Draco and picked up his cloak that was nesting on his personal coat hanger.

"So can't I come crash the party?" Draco asked jokingly.

"No."

"Damn, you're one ungrateful asshole, you know that? Where's 'thank you Draco'?"

"Thank you Draco," Blaise replied and walked out of his large room with Draco at his tail.

"That's all?"

Blaise stopped in the small hallway and stared at Draco rudely, "I know you want to come but you can't. You aren't invited and it will just make you look stupid if you show up." Draco's eyes widened in a slight shock of disappointment and decided to remain silent. If Blaise wanted to prance around the outskirts of London with some 'girl' then he could do so.

"Besides," Blaise continued, "you aren't supposed to be seen in public."

Draco rolled his eyes and gave a fake smile, "go on and have the time of your life while I sit around in an empty mansion." He waved his hands in the direction of the spiral stairway and Blaise gave him a sympathetic look. If Blaise was feeling bad now, that was exactly how Draco wanted him to feel. But at the same time he didn't need Blaise's pity.

"See you later," Blaise mumbled and pulled his cloak on.

Draco watched silently as he disappeared down the stairway and then leaned against the wall. He thought about what he was going to do for the entire night because luckily, he had no practices. He wanted to have fun but at the same time he had no clue where to go.

**At the Inn…**

Not long after Ron was showered with presents, most of the people who came to the party went off to dance on the floor. The music DJ happened to be one of Ron's old friends, Dean Thomas. Dean, of course, seemed to know what he was doing as he switched between Magical records. They changed songs by the flick of the wand and into anything Dean felt was perfect for the mood. On the dance floor, it was a little insane with everyone bumping and grinding. Even though it was Ron's party he stayed off the dance floor. He remained on one of the stools at the small bar at the far corner of the room. Hermione seemed to be the bartender behind the counter. Ron knew why. She was obsessing over everyone over doing it so she took the responsibility to make sure they didn't.

And sadly, the one person they least suspected to be tipsy was way out of it. Harry slapped Ron on the shoulder and laughed uncontrollably. Ron slightly flinched at the pressure and rolled his eyes. Harry, after three bottles of Light Whiskey, was gone; so gone that he was laughing for no reason.

"Wait," Harry said after he calmed down slightly, "wait 'til the twins get here. Oh man, what they have planned." And then not a second later, Harry began to die of laughter.

Ron pitifully stared at his drunken friend and looked over at Hermione who was busy passing a few drinks to Seamus and two of his cousins from New Zealand. When she looked back at Ron, she got the hint that Harry was drunk.

"How many did he have?" Hermione said worriedly as she watched Harry almost falling off the stool. But Ron's quick reflex held him back in position.

"Three," Ron replied, "and one of them was mines." He added bitterly.

"Ron! Now what are we going to do?" Hermione fretted then leaned in to whisper, "he might make a fool of himself."

"Hey! I'm not the bartender, you know. Why didn't you look after him?"

"I have my hands full! I got like a hundred people up my arse." Hermione screeched angrily. Just then, Neville Longbottom stepped over to the gang.

"Guys, you won't believe what Lee is doing!" Neville said excitedly then looked over at Hermione. "Pass me a drink, please?"

Hermione went to the mini fridge and pulled out forty-percent liquor and passed it off to Neville as she asked, "What is Lee doing?"

"Created a pool on the roof," Neville said as he took a sip of his drink. Now Neville wasn't one to party crazy but when given the right alcohol and music, he could sometimes be out of it. He had long gone passed his shy clumsiness but still had that nervous look and fidgeting, if one took the time to notice.

"Are you bloody serious?" Ron asked as his eyes lit up. Evidently, a few ideas cropped up in his mind and he didn't mind sharing a pool with a few girls. And as though Hermione understood what was running through his mind like some physic, she slapped him on the arm.

"Ron!" Hermione yelled in a mother-like tone. She looked right at Neville and asked, "What is Lee trying to do? Get everyone sick? It's like negative ten degrees outside."

Neville shook his head at her silliness and walked off without so much as a response. She noticed he was limping from side to side as he made his way up the narrow staircase that leads to the rooms upstairs. Hermione's eyes widened as she took a glance back at Ron. "He's drunk too! How did this happen?"

"Hermione," Ron called out.

Her hand came to her forehead with worry, "Tom allowed me to handle this party as long as everyone remained within the main floor and not get drunk!"

"Hermione?" Ron said loudly.

"I should have made the invitations to a bare minimal. I should have told Fred no drinking was allowed. I should have told Charlie to stay. I should have-"

"HERMIONE!" This time Ron took the liberty to grab her shoulders over the counter with a hard shake. That quickly got her attention and he gave a half grin.

"I truly appreciate what you and that retard over there," his head pointed to the direction at Harry who was now dancing with Susan Bones on the floor, "did for me but you got to relax. This is my birthday party and I want you to chill and have some fun. Stop acting like my bloody mom, okay?"

"But-"

"No buts. I want you to get out of that dirty apron and enjoy yourself. Get drunk, go do something foolish. Who cares? This is a one time thing, right?"

"I know but Ron-"

Before she had the chance to even remotely finish her sentence he placed a kiss on her forehead and sighed. "I said no buts." Then he released her and walked off to go see what Neville was talking about earlier. Ron knew that his little speech wouldn't change Hermione's attitude towards the whole party. Seeing her drunk and wild wouldn't be probable. But at the same time Ron was thankful because at the end of the night, she would be the one to fix everything up. To have at least one sensible person here tonight was going to come in hand.

Hermione, on the other hand, watched as Ron disappeared in the crowd. She took off her apron aggressively and threw it on the counter. Then she placed her hands on her cheeks and stared off at the people enjoying themselves. Mostly at Harry who was dancing with one girl after the next. It was so odd to see her best-friend doing the things he was doing. It must be all the drinks he consumed, she assumed. Harry would never do that if he was levelheaded.

While watching him, the music was starting to get to her. She bobbed her head side to side as she slowly tried to hum to the song.

Sadly, that didn't last long as someone tapped on her shoulder. She quickly snapped her head at the direction to find Blaise standing there. Hermione suddenly remembered that she had invited him that same day. Looking at him now, with his handsome features she was glad she did.

"Hello Hermione," Blaise said sweetly.

"Hey, did you just get here?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, did I miss anything?" He said as he stared off at the people dancing like idiots on the dance floor.

"No, nothing," She sighed. Blaise gave her a look over which in her opinion slightly embarrassed her. She still had her work clothes on and sort of looked like a mess. Of course it didn't bother her that her other friends see her like this but to have some one like Blaise watch her made her feel dirty. She should have gone home to get cleaned up.

"Why the long face?" Blaise asked. Hermione really didn't know this guy well enough unless she counted the times she seen him around school but even that couldn't reside the shock of finding out a Slytherin could be this nice. And she, being the friendly person she was, always gave the benefit of the doubt.

"I'm not sad. Just a little stressed out," Hermione replied.

"I see," Blaise nodded and thought for a second, "This is a party."

Hermione arched her eyebrow at him at what he said, "Excuse me?"

"This is a party. You should release your stress and have a good time," he said.

"I am having a good time. This is me, having a good time," Hermione said sarcastically as she addressed to herself. She knew she wasn't having a good time at all.

Blaise looked at her skeptically and shook his head, "do you drink?"

"NO! Are you saying I'm off or something?"

"Not at all, I'm suggesting you drink because girl, you sure need it."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Hermione asked slightly offended.

"Drinking equals stress relief in my books." Blaise said with a smirk

"I've read almost every book there is. What book states that?" Hermione asked jokingly. Blaise's smirk turned into a smile which instantly changed to chuckle.

He remained quiet for a minute as he tapped to the beat of the music on the counter. He then slowly looked up at Hermione, who was studying him. "You know what?" Blaise said and didn't wait for Hermione's response, "pass us some drinks."

Hermione, the smart, collective, calm and in control person that she was, thought about it for a second. She gazed around the large room, at the people dancing, at the people in certain couches and tables making out and having a grand old time, at Harry who was now dancing with a Ravenclaw girl Hermione forgot the name of and at Blaise who had that certain mischievous twinkle in his eyes. If she wild out, it was only going to be for one night and one night only. She was sick of being the one who had to handle every situation. Why not make Harry and Ron handle it this time?

"_Who cares? This is a one time thing, right?"_

She remembered what Ron said to her earlier and she smiled at herself. With that crazy thought in mind, Hermione went to the cooler and took out two 2-litre whiskeys. Blaise arched his eyebrow at her, probably in surprise, and opened the cap. Hermione did the same and raised her whiskey up, "to my new crazy antic."

"Cheers," Blaise lightly tapped her drink with his and took down a few gulps in a matter of seconds. Hermione, in contrast, couldn't stand the nasty taste going down her throat but for the hell of it drank it like it was the sweetest thing she ever tasted.

**

* * *

A/N: Oh boy, oh boy…Hermione's drinking. Harry's drunk and Ron disappeared. Ahaha, what the hell? (I ask myself that sometimes) But anywho this is the first part to a crazy night. Let's just say what's happening now is just the tip of the ice-burg.**


End file.
